i heard that either one of you, or both knew something about this suspension. I'm coming from the normal H&R coilovers, which i felt were okay, but too softly sprung (for refrence i had mine set to -1.75 to -2 inches). I drove an integra w/ H&R race springs, and it was nice an TIGHT. I'm looking for a nice TIGHT ride with low body roll. I'm not worried about a harsh ride, cuz the other coilovers were WAY TO CUSHY, and bottomed a little to much for my likes (i dont' mean hitting drivway entrances and likes, but bottoming while driving). Do the new coilovers fit what i'm looking for? Where can i get a set. I've been going around the internet recently and noticed that there is a Ultra-Low Coilover being marketed by H&R, is this the shock that you have, or is what you have not available yet?

Chris Gerard

I believe that the best way to get them is thru H&R Special Springs directly. Or they could tell you someone that they shipped them to. Rich, Corey, and I got them directly from H&R. Mine are still in the box in my garage right now. If you call them...ask for Roland or Tina. Mine original set are really soft now...they have been exposed to too much "fun".

Steve S.
97 2.8QM

My wheel wells are 25 1/4" from the ground to the top of the wheel wells. I do not bottom out on regular driving...only when I go over a speed bump toooooo fast (BANG!!!)

Steve S.
97 2.8QM

i think i'm going to to where tire and fender are at teh same height (i think that would be around -2 to -2.25) for asthetics, but if that would make my car handel a whole lot worse than if it was at -1.75, i might consider only dropping that much. I understand that the car will bottom more, and i dont have a problem with that. any other considerations?
chris

Going to low...or staying too high... does not maximize the handling. I think from 1.5 - 1.75" below stock is the best range for overall use and street and track.. ....Edmund Louie and Rich Quinlan both tried the coilovers real low...they both moved back up complaining about the feel when the car was too low.

If I remember correctly...each of them have websites that explain and show pictures of this "too low" look. Sorry, I forget the URLs.

Steve S.
97 2.8QM

Or were they "warranty" replaced? I am still waiting on a replacement set of rear shocks.

Chris

i don't know what the height was. But both the front and back tires were about .5 to .75 inches IN the wheel wheel (ie you could not see the tops of the tires!)

At over 200KPH the car felt EXTREMELY stable. now i have it set to the same height as Cory and Steve (did--now they are S4 guys). This was better overall for driveability--no bottom scraping on speeed bumps.

The car did lean less as well, but i believe that may be because I was so low, i was using the bump stops.

Got some pics to post of me at Mosport. Get the scanner out this weekend.

1996 a4 2.8 qm

Here are their web sites:

<a href=http://move.to/sportcars>Edmund's A4 Page</a>

<a href=http://home.att.net/~richquinlan/>Rich's A4 Page</a>

Sean..
99.5 1.8Tqm<ul><li><a href="http://www.seansa4page.com">Sean's A4 Page</a></li></ul>

Here's another option on coilovers if you want something that was designed and tuned specifically for the most optimal ride performance on the A4.
Yes, I am biased since my car is a project car tuned by Vortrag and I'm an investor in the company. However, I am a driving enthusiast first and foremost and I saved my own money to get these coilovers (yes, I still have to buy my own stuff).
I've driven all different makes and brands of shocks and springs. We've had experiences with everything Koni, Bilstein shocks, Neuspeed, A!AvantGarde, Eibach, H&R springs and so on.
As far as springs, we use Hypercoil springs now. Hyperco (who makes Hypercoil springs) is one of the top spring producers to CART and F1. These springs are a top class product and they last.
You mention drop, but what's even more important is being able balance the vehicle's weight distribution (50/50) for incredible handling.
I just had the Vortrag Coilovers (Custom-valved Koni/Hypercoil race springs) installed before The Quattro Club Nationals at Road America.
This coilover package is a slightly more expensive setup than the other packages out there, but it is with no doubt the best I've ever driven. I can tell you that my car was phenomenal on the track at Road America this week. I was blasting through the water and the miserable track conditions with the most stable, flat, precision ride I've ever experienced. I was just plain FAST. The car drives like it's on rails! Total predictability. It is not harsh, either. My stock Porsche 944 is wayyyy more harsh than this and does not drive even close to as well as this. My springs are at a very high rate...because I am an aggressive track driver. Still, the ride is very comfortable to me. I have to drive this car every day to work (70 mile round trip) and on Michigan's pot-hole ridden streets.
People think that a track setup won't be acceptable on the street. It's all in how the package is combined and matched. You have to have the right valving and properly matched to the spring rates. Also, the spring can make a big difference in time. My Konis and another set of our H&R's went soft after a year. They were great at first but gradually, the body roll became worse and worse with time and then the shocks had to do most of the work. It went from a comfortable ride to a hardh and rolly ride.
The cool thing about the Vortrag Coilover-Koni/Hypercoil setup is that they have a lifetime parts warranty, so if the parts ever have a problem, they are replaced. There's a spring exchange warranty too. So if you go with spring rates you think are what you want, and find they are either too stiff or too soft for your liking, Vortrag will exhange them for you free of charge.
As I said, I'm really a driving enthusiast first. That is why I got involved with this whole tuning thing in the first place. What I liked is that Vortrag's main focus is to build the absolute best product out there. Not just for everyone else, but because they wanted the best stuff for their very own cars.
-Cathleen
---Computer leasing by day, playing with Cars n' Toys in my free time ;-)